The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-11-10

"Why? l thought 1t was gem OF
letter for man who desires to be OFF
with the old love before he Is on with
the new"
don't want to be on with the new.
wouldn't give Bessie for million
Blanch Bernards Why is it we can
never know how blessed we are until
we have lost the one thing that makes
life worth livins?"
"Our primeval curse, Adam and
Ewes legacy to u.s." answered. laugh
ingly. What troubles you now?
Have you no longer any Mormonistic
fancy for two wives?."
"If you please, Fred, don't chaff
about it. am too wretched to endure
it with patience. Do you think, Fred,
if 1 would write another letter, ex-
planatory, asking to be reinstated in
my old position, that Bessie would
pardon my brief defection?"
at is possible. But what has come
over the spirit of your love-dream that
you are so quickly disillusioned. 1
knew that if your fever could run on
for a month or two longer before it
reached the crisis of proposal that
you would come out of it all right, but
L am as much surprised as pleased at
your speedy return to your senses"
Well he said. coloring wildly
don't laugh, please-well, called on
Blanch last night. She never looked
| lovelier. l have seen more beautiful
women. but l swear l never saw a
more fascinating one. She received
ME, as she always does, with open
arms, as a figure of speech, you under
stand, and made herself as charming
as possible. She sang to me, she
played to me, she enchanted me and
fooled me, like nineteenth century
Vivien, until 1 lost the little sense that
remained to me. And l had opened
my actually opened my lips to
ask her to marry me, when the front
parlor door opened. At this stage of
the comedy we were sitting in the
moonlight in the back parlor, and
Glenn cried, hastily and abruptly:
:" q say, Blanch, cousin julie wants
your paints and stuff. She wants to
make whited sepulcher of herself for
Captain O'Neils benefit like you do
for Mr.. Ashford's. She's got an en-
gagement with him, and the nights so
warm and her face so shiny she thought
little powder on her nose would i'm
prove matters. She told me to be in a
dickens of hurry and
"'That's enough Glenn Miss
Blanch interrupted. laughingly = as
for me. Fred, 1 felt like Don Juan
must have felt when the statute of the
Commander invited him to supper
well dispense with any more of your
pleasantries for tonight. The boy Is
most inveterate practical joker, Mr..
Ashford, and nothing delights him
more than to tease me. Knowing you
we're with me. he got up this little i'm
promptu for your benefit as well as
mine
'.But her laugh sounded, to my sus-
picious mind, forced and embarrassed.
And when she uttered my name, I
heard a suppressed smoker and an as
tonished interjection from Glenn rs he
hurriedly fled from the scene that con-
WINGED me he had suspicion of my pres
ence. was convinced beyond Il doubt
later, for having left my cane behind
mel had no design in leaving that
useful article of bric-a-brac behind me,
but the exciting episode l have mar
rated upset my nerves and made me
absent minded returned to get it. l
quietly entered the vestibule intending
to reclaim my property and depart
without announcing my presence to
Miss Blanch, and ! heard her voice in
an angry alteration with her brother
that disguised me and disenchanted
me at once. What a remarkable tai
ent some men have for mendacity.
Fred! hastily left the house without
attempting to recover my cane, think
ing regretfully of Bessie's low, sweet
and clean implanted face. And here
am-ready to do any thing to win her
back again"
Clarence has the most un bounded
and most unreasonable prejudice with
regard to painting, for in his opinion
a woman who paints her face and puts
little powder on her nose to improve
matters is capable of all the sins for
hidden in the Decalogue. l knew that
Miss Demands reign was over. and
felicitated myself on my discretion in
retaining Bessie's letter. handed it
to him saying:
81 kept the letter awhile, thinking
You might change your mind. Per-
haps you'd better hold on to it, in case
your tickle fancy should wander again.
As have before remarked, it's mod
ell letter of its kind "
He tore it into infinitesimal bits as
he replied:
"rll have no further use for that
sort of literature. All the sirens of the
world, from Cleopatra down to Blanch
Bernard, couldn't win one of my
thoughts from Bessie"
And l believe he was right. At all
events she has found him thus far the
most constant and devoted of hus-
bands. And she has not the faintest
suspicion of his, and her own, hair
breadth escape from Miss Bernard
golden and rosy fascinations.-S. c.
LdsScUe, in Carrent.
Expansion of Bridges.